The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl
by Shadow-Kitsune
Summary: Chapter 4: Out on Shikamaru's dad's deer farm... What awaits the group when Sasuke can't sleep?
1. Prologue

**Title: **The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl  
**Summary: **AU: High School Fic. Ino's the popular girl. Shikamaru's the unpopular boy. Can love blossom between the two or will it end as a one-sided love?**  
Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters of the anime. This fan fiction was created for fun. Do not sue for any reasons.**  
Chapter: **Prologue  
**Comments: **Hello! This is my second shot at a romance fic. The pairing should be obvious. Shikamaru/Ino. I'm a big fan of the two. –waves ShikaIno flag- Teehee. O.o'' Uh… Reviews are forever welcome as well as ideas on how to develop the story ;-;. Alright read! Read! :)

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**Shikamaru's POV**

Hey. My name's Nara Shikamaru. I go to Konoha High School as a junior. I'm not very high on the social status at KHS. Okay, nowhere near it. I'm at rock bottom. Well, maybe not exactly way down there. I'm your average person. Well, nerd. That's it, nerd. I don't dress the part though. I don't wear plaid shirts or high-water pants. Or the pocket protectors. Or glasses.

I spend a lot of my time in the library since I don't have a lot of friends. I like reading, and Shougi. I joined the Shougi club and I've been to a few book seminars to pass the time.

My best friend is Akimichi Chouji. He's on the same social status as me. But he's only on my level because people see him as an obese idiot who only spends his spare time eating. But that's not true.

He plans on being a nutritionist after college. I still have to keep telling him to shape up before we hit college if he wants a career in that profession.

I'm a little too smart for my own good. I didn't plan it or anything; I guess I was just born with an IQ over 200. I have a strange fetish with reading romance novels. Although I'm the extremely lazy and laid-back type of person, my dream is to be a novelist and live on my father's deer ranch near the city.

I want to swing on the hammock in the front of the house, drinking fresh-squeezed lemonade and read a romance novel. That's not a troublesome life. I can freely watch puffs of clouds roll by. I envy their freedom.

I live by philosophy, rather than counting on money to be happy. Then again, I still live in the house I've grown up in, with my mom. She's always on my back about studying to get into a good college in order to have a good job that pays a lot to live a great life. She's not troublesome. She just cares about me, which I respect. I love my mom, but she can be a little loud when I don't get up for school.

_A great life…_ That's something a few select people have. My life currently consists of being incessantly teased by my peers, mainly the popular students. Uchiha Sasuke, the group leader, par say. I have nothing against him. He looks 'hot' and 'sexy', quote his fan club, which includes of about a third of the whole student body of girls.

I wouldn't want to be in his position. It would be a little troublesome, I think, if that many girls were stalking you everywhere you went, trying to catch a glimpse at your body and face, or taking a picture. That's a lot worse. But he likes the attention, I wouldn't.

Then there's the most popular girl—Yamanaka Ino. She is a bit of a pushover, and bossy sometimes. But any guy would kill to have her as their woman, including me. She's very beautiful, and well mannered, sometimes.

It's sad; I've fallen for the girl who most guys like as well. I can't help it though. We were best friends up until freshman year. I was so happy that she was always sticking up for me when others would tease me as the nerd.

That's when I began to like her as something more than a friend.

But then as we got older, so did our reputations. Ino's always been the girl to lead a crowd. And that's exactly what she did.

Slowly we broke apart, our friendship that is. She knows I never wanted to be a popular kid, not that I ever could. But she decided that reputation is more important than friendship. I'm trying hard to let go. Let go of my memories, my love for Yamanaka Ino.

_But I can't. _

I'm a hopeless romantic, and I know that. But it's okay. As long as I can see her everyday from the seat in the library as she walks to lunch with her friends, as long as I can see her at her locker before second period starts, I'm fine. It's not troublesome to only see her for a few precious seconds. But it's more troublesome if I try to get closer to her.

I had my chance, for a long time. I've known her since childhood for Christ's sake. But she never thought of me as something more than a good friend.

I remember back when I was looking up at a number chart, she walked up to me. I pretended not to notice her, but she had a determined face and tensed up. I found it… troublesome.

_"Hi! My name's Ino! Wanna play jump rope with us?"_

I felt accepted by someone for the first time in all my school years as a normal person. She held out her hand, and I took it with no regret. I held the rope on one end and a chubby kid held the other end, who was in fact Chouji. A pink haired girl, Sakura, and Ino jumped in as we spun the rope. The two began to chant:

_"Strawberry shortcake, _

_Blueberry pie, _

_Who's gonna be my lucky guy? _

_A-B-C-D…"_

My arm began to grow cramped, and then the girls tripped suddenly. They were in a heap on the floor, but got up laughing.

_"S!!" The two shouted. "S FOR SASUKE!!"_

Is it coincidence that my name starts with S too? Even as a puppy love, the two already had 'fallen' for Sasuke when we started school as 5 year olds. I wasn't very fond of Ino back then. But now a days I think of her often and how she used to stop by our house for milk and cookies. My mother would have them fresh baked around lunchtime, and Ino would knock on the door. I would answer and she would greet me cheekily, with a jump rope in her hands, a purple jump rope to be exact.

That's always been her favorite color. On my eighth birthday, I was sitting in my room eating a piece of my birthday cake. I didn't have a party. I didn't want one anyway. My mother and father insisted on one, but I just found it troublesome.

It was a Saturday, and I remember it was sunny outside, with a cherry blossom tree swaying its branches with the slow breeze that floated by. I noticed a blonde haired figure running past my window, but I ignored it.

That's when my mother called me downstairs. Ino was at the door, smiling. She held a rectangular box and lavender lilacs in her arms.

_"Happy Birthday Shika! I have to leave though. My dad is taking my mom and me out for lunch. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer. Bye!"_

_"That's okay. I'll see you later."_

I was a bit of a rebel, despite my age. I took the box with me upstairs while my mom put the lilacs in a vase. I plopped on my bed, staring at the pastel green wrapping around the box. I ripped it slowly, and disclosed a book.

_"The Two Cat Brothers."_

It was a picture book. Go figure. I crooked the end of my mouth slightly, ending up in a half smirk/smile. I flipped through the pages, reading the text ever so easily. Then I stopped at the last two pages. There was a picture of a cat trying to catch a fish in a small creek.

_"I think I can… I think I can…"_

The text said. Then I looked over the opposite page. There was a picture of another cat, the cat in the pond's brother. I read the text under the picture. I just had to give a soft smile then.

_"Of course you can!"_

The cat was cheering on his brother, and he was finally able to catch the fish, with the help of his brother's words. It was exactly how I felt with Ino.

**_Confident._**

With her, I was able to live my life ignoring the other kids. We became friends with Chouji then. She still thought of Chouji as a fat kid, nevertheless. But she still kept Chouji and me going on throughout school.

Now a days, I can hold up on my own. I still feel lonely, even though Chouji is still here with me. We were a trio. InoShikaCho. But that's in the past, and I guess that's where it plans on staying.

I still wonder myself, if that's where my heart is. Where it's been living for the past two years.

_The past._

Right now I'm sitting on my bed, watching clouds roll by. I can never be like them. Free to soar where they please. I'm just… trapped. I'm not trying to sound depressed or angst, but that's how I feel. Lost. Lost with out the blonde haired temper tantrum girl in my life.

"NARA SHIKAMARU. GET YOURSELF DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT FOR BREAKFAST. YOU'LL BE LATE TO SCHOOL AGAIN!!"

I wince at the voice coming from downstairs.

There's my mom, nagging at me to eat breakfast for the umpteenth time. Yeah, it's a school day. Monday. _Mondays are so troublesome…_

I slide the sheets off my body and yawn for a good 6 seconds. I slouch down the stairs and sit down in a chair, a plate of pancakes in front of me. My father is sitting in front of me, reading the newspaper, a cup of coffee in his right hand.

"Hey dad. Why did you marry such a tempered woman?"

He eyed me with a half-lidded eye. He breathed out and closed his eyes and brought up his arms in a shrug of his shoulders.

"It doesn't matter if the woman is skinny, fat, short, tall, mean, nice… All that matters is if the love is there. With your mother… Yeah she's a little on the bossy side. But that's whom I fell in love with. I can't do anything about that. Heh…"

He took a sip of his coffee while I contemplated on his words.

_"…if the love is there…"_

The love was definitely there, by me of course. It was weird how a lot of the men in the Nara family were lazy, and yet married woman like my mom. Unfortunately, I'm one of them. But like my dad said, I can't do anything about that.

I ate the last of my breakfast and chugged down a glass of milk. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and tossed it in a waste can before heading back up to my room to get ready for school.

I don't dislike school. There are the books, the Shougi, and definitely the girl, Ino. Well, having two out of three is fine, right? I'm smart, yet dumbfounded when it comes to the subject of love. I read all these romance novels, reading how a guy breaks the ice to the girl. I've thought up about two hundred other ways to do it as well. I just don't take account for the social status. Myself being the unpopular boy and Ino, the popular girl.

Also I forget I've lost my self-confidence.

If I try to ask her out, I might be rejected, and teased even further. If we do happen to go out, I don't believe it would last that long. I have all these doubts, only because I don't know how Ino feels about me. But that's just a phase of the evil yet heavenly thing called love.

I finish showering and putting on the KHS uniform. It consists of a white collared shirt and a pair of navy blue pants. There's the matching blazer for the fall and winter seasons. The black tie is optional. I wear it, sometimes. I decide to slap it on, for the heck of it. I stick on my pair of earrings.

I really don't know why I wear them. It's instinct I guess. I grab my backpack and randomly pick out a romance novel off my bookshelf and head downstairs. I fit my black shoes on my feet and adjust them while waving bye to my mom. I head out the door to find Chouji waiting for me by the gate, eating a sandwich.

"What happened to eating chips in the morning?" I had to ask. It wasn't like Chouji to change his eating habits all of a sudden.

"Hey, you're the one who said to get into shape. I'm only listening to you cuz you're the smart one." Chouji stated.

I was glad to see him finally listening to me. We started walking on our way to school. I fished my novel out of my backpack and to my surprise I see a bookmark. That's weird; I could've sworn I finished this particular book. I scanned the front for the title. Now I remember.

I read it a few months back, then my mom snatched it out of my hands and replaced it with my Science book. That's just like my mom. Always pushing me to study. That's only one of a few reasons why I like school. I look forward to go everyday in fact, for the books, the Shougi, and of course, the girl.

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Was that okay? Did I screw up anywhere ;-; Eeh… Okay I'll stop feeling sorry for my poor writing skills. Review!


	2. Misunderstanding

**Title: **The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl  
**Summary: **AU: High School Fic. Ino's the popular girl. Shikamaru's the unpopular boy. Can love blossom between the two or will it end as a one-sided love?**  
Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters of the anime. This fan fiction was created for fun. Do not sue for any reasons.**  
Chapter: **1: Misunderstanding  
**Comments: **Thank you to those who reviewed! I appreciate it, really I do ;-; Sorry if this chapter is short. -.-' And… it lacks part of the storyline. Kinda. O.o''

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**Normal POV **

"Man, where'd you go, Chouji…" Shikamaru mumbled to himself as the students of KHS were shuffling around.

It was routine that the two go through the front doors, and get separated in the flow of the people chatting and gossiping in the halls. Eventually Shikamaru found Chouji at his locker and waited for him to get his books and they left for their first periods. Shikamaru had Pre Algebra while Chouji had Japanese Government.

"You know if you keep looking bored and depressed, your face might stay that way." Chouji advises. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Nah… It's just the morning, that's all. I hate getting up for school. You should know that of all people." The shadow user says.

The Akimichi stopped in his tracks. "It's Ino, isn't it." He grinned.

"Well… I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"If you love her so much, just ask her out. I'm sure she'll accept. I mean… come on, you're a great guy to hang around with!"

"Chouji, you know nothing about love. And besides, there's a ton of obstacles to evenbe near her."

"You've been calculating? Geez, Shikamaru, you're love sick."

"Shut it."

The two parted down a hallway and Shikamaru walked into his class in small strides, abruptly stopped by a slightly taller figure than him.

"Well if it isn't the class nerd. Heh… Are you sure you should be here? The librarian might be out looking for you." The black-haired teen sneered. It was the popular jerk, Sasuke.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and opened them up again, eyebrows furrowing. "Same goes for you. The principle was looking for you on my way here."

Sasuke's groupies suddenly glared at Shikamaru and looked as though it was a court trial. The Nara shrugged the whole thing off as the groupies continued their snickering behind him. He sat down near the back and beside the window where he always sat. The encounter with Sasuke and his lackeys was routine as well, only on Mondays though.

'_Man, Mondays are so troublesome…_' The lazy genius thought.

The teacher walked in as the bell rang and began talking in a monotonous voice about the bulletin.

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**Shikamaru's POV **

I find it strange that the math teacher seems to drawl on about useless math skills yet doesn't find the time to check that the students are in no question not attentive. I don't listen either, since I spend my time sleeping in class. Instead today I decide to shift my head to rest on my arm, and scribble nonsense on my notebook. Let's see what I have so far:

_Many things in life are troublesome.  
I'm very lazy.  
Sasuke's a first-class snob.  
Ino's very pretty.  
Chouji thi  
_

Wait just a darn minute! I read over what I have. No, never mind. Chouji thinks asparagus is disgusting too.

I glance up to see a few people throwing paper airplanes and other objects. There's Sasuke and those people talking about their business. A pen bounces off my head. Ow. I don't notice my hand is in motion with my pencil still in full grip. I look back at my notebook and see two lines of the same thing:

_I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino  
I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino I love Ino _

I need to talk to Chouji about this…

…Or not.

I did this back in middle school once, and he sat there howling at me. I didn't find it funny though.

I went back to scribbling on my paper, unfazed by the second piece of something that was thrown my way. I wish Ino were in this class. I could've been staring at her the whole time in secrecy. But unfortunately, her IQ doesn't have what it takes to be in this class.

If she were with me I would've made up for that in a future life. I don't want to sound selfish, but if I weren't so lazy I could do something about it. That's it though. I'm Nara Shikamaru, the lazy, laid-back genius with an IQ of 200. A man with no drive. Feh.

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It's break time right now, and I'm in the library with Chouji. We're playing a game of Shougi. I move a piece and Chouji crosses his arms in dissatisfaction.

"Oh great. Now what move can I make…" Chouji says scratching his head and looking over the board.

I look around the library to see a few people looking on the shelves for books. It's a typical day for my best friend and me. Then there's a tap on my shoulder. I wonder who would want to talk to 'the nerd'…

_No way in the Kyuubi's grasp-_

"Ino?" I must say; she surprised me. She was smiling her cute smile and waving a hand in front of us.

She sat down in front of the board and flipped her hair back. Chouji was still trying to make his move.

"Sooo… What's been going on with you two?" Ino asked awkwardly.

For some odd reason beyond my complex mind and further out into space, I wasn't all that happy to have Ino talk to us. All this time she has tried avoiding both of us and she comes out of who knows where and talks to us.

"Nothing in particular. We've just been our old selves." Chouji replied. I wouldn't have said that though. I haven't been the same since she became popular. Not one bit. Am I starting to sound angry? Nah, it's too troublesome to be angry...

I glance behind her and I see Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of the popular crowd looking at our table oddly. Ino turns to where I look and she suddenly stands up.

"I see. I just wanted to see how you two were doing. I'll just take my leave now. Bye!" She says hastily and skips toward them. I focus my hearing on the group and close my eyes. I knew she was too chatty to just leave like that. I wonder what's up?

"What were you doing over there?" I hear Sakura ask Ino.

"I… They asked me something and… I just sat down to explain something to _those losers_. Nothing big. They're really not worth my time." Ino said.

**That hit me like a ton of bricks. **

Is that what she really thought of us? Losers? It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. Not after all those years. She must've been lying. But for what reason? I put my elbow on the table and rested my hand on it.

"You think she was lying too, don't you." Chouji says bluntly, obscuring my thoughts. He finally made his move.

"How did you get to the point to know what I'm thinking? But why do you think she said we were losers?"

"Shikamaru, I'm your best friend. And I was Ino's best friend too. Anyway, it's Ino we're talking about! Sometimes there's no reason when it comes to her, right?"

"Yeah. You're right." With Ino, anything she said could've come up as random as the weather in Konoha. I took a piece and moved it.

"Don't feel bad, Shika. It's the same ol' Ino if you squint your eyes hard enough. Haha…" He said.

It was the same old Ino that came by only minutes ago. I knew that as well as Chouji did. Okay so maybe my heart skipped a beat when I saw her there smiling… did I blush? Did I look like one of my dad's deer in the headlights? Then out of nowhere I see Chouji stand up, with a hand out in front of me in a victory sign.

"What's that for?" I question him with one of my eyebrows cocked up.

"I win! I finally beat you in a game of Shougi!! Where's my journal I have to write this down…" He says in merriment. I sit here dumbfounded as I look over the Shougi board and see one of his pieces moved. Indeed he beat me, the first person in fact. I must be losing my touch…

"Oh well… that's 1 to how many other times we've played in my favor." I say grinning.

We stand up and part our separate ways. I fiddle with the lock on my locker to put my math book away. I open it and a lavender piece of paper falls out. I stare at it for a few seconds before grunting and picking it up. Normally I never get notes like this, especially in a different color other than white. I unfold the page and read it over:

_I'm so sorry I said that Shikamaru. I know you heard me say it too.  
__But I hope you understand why. You're still my friend right?_

_-Ino _

It was the same old Ino. When she said something she didn't mean to either one of us, she would always apologize sooner or later.

It was the 'Ino-thing' to do.

I guess that's one reason why I love that bossy girl.

"You got a note too I see?" Chouji says behind me. I close my locker and we're on our way to our next class. We had the next class together—Physical Education. It was the class both of us hated. For me, because I'm lazy. For Chouji, because he hates exercise.

But I like this class only because Ino's in it with us.

We suited up and waited for instructions by the teacher. Today's agenda was cancelled. The gym teacher's wife was in some sort of accident and he had to leave immediately.

So here we sit on the stands, Chouji eating a bag of chips while I read my romance novel. The other students are chatting and the cheerleading team has the mats out for practice. It was weird how the whole team ended up having the same gym period together.

Ino is a cheerleader. One of the things she's always wanted to be to be popular.

"All right girls! Let's get started!" I hear one of them say in an annoying preppy voice. They stand in formation, ready to do their routine. I see Ino near the front and I decide to put my book down and watch.

Music starts playing and they start dancing. A few seconds later, they make a pyramid, with Ino on top. She waves to everyone and stops to look up at me, smiling.

I sit here frozen by her stare, oddly feeling warm inside.

_She still cares. _

I know she does.


	3. Ice Cream Days

**Title: **The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl  
**Summary: **AU: High School Fic. Ino's the popular girl. Shikamaru's the unpopular boy. Can love blossom between the two or will it end as a one-sided love?**  
Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters of the manga/anime. This fan fiction was created for fun. Do not sue for any reasons.**  
Chapter: **2: Ice Cream Days  
**Comments: **Okay 1: I'm extremely sorry if you were reading this fic and were disappointed that I haven't updated in forever. Lol. 2: Someone in this fiction comes in but in the manga/anime they are a year older than the Konoha new graduates? Pretend they're not. Pretend they're the same age as everyone else. 3: Thank you for your kind reviews. No flames yet. Yay! I've finally come up with an actual storyline! Instead of writing as I go along! Meg awesome! Now on with the story!

OOO

**Shikamaru's POV**

"Aye, Shikamaru! Didja hear about the dance?" Kiba bounced towards me in his cocky voice.

"Yes, only about a million times, Kiba." I answer back, rubbing my temples with my two index fingers.

Over the intercom during second period, the student body president, Tenten, announced the dance this Friday. Everyone's been chatty about since, and it's fifth period. Geez, I don't even know if I should go.

The bell rang and I got out of my seat, dusting off my pants in the process. I headed to the door, only to be stopped by Tenten herself. She was panting a bit, maybe from running?

"Wait just a minute, Shikamaru." She huffed. She held the edges of the doorframe, preventing me from exiting the room. Great. Just wonderful.

"What do you want?" I had to ask. This was all too weird. First Ino comes up to me, now this?

I can't complain though. Tenten's the student body president. She's the editor of the school's newspaper, and president of the Tennis Club and Kendo… Her status here makes her one of the popular girls, but different than Ino. Tenten's more intellectual than her, rather than in beauty. I guess my day is going a little better.

"I want to ask you a question!" She piped. Okay, my day just got… let's say… odd? No, more like… bad. There.

She led me over to a sitting area near the front of the school, where a lot of students came to hang out. We sat down and she swung over in front of her a large sling bag. I couldn't help but wonder what she wants me to do with all of this.

"I was wondering if you could fill in for Lee this week… as one of our school's journalist. He came down with a late case of chicken pox."

"I see." I closed my eyes. "No thanks, I have other plans." Okay, I lied. I just want to go home and read a book, really I do.

"Please? I really need you on this job! I've read some of your other works, from your history class, and they were phenomenal!"

I don't really think I can work with someone who snoops through my papers. She's kinda cute, though. What am I saying? I need to change the subject… how about…

"How did you get my papers?"

"Oh. Uh… The teacher let me read them?" She sweatdropped and scratched the back of her head in guilt. "She said they were the best she's read in years." She stuck out her tongue. Cute.

Great. She pulled me back in. "Still no."

"Come on Shikamaruuuu. You don't even know what assignment I'm giving you. I think you'll be interested in this event." I could see a slight tint of pink in her cheeks. Was she nervous about asking me to do this job? I sighed in defeat. She was a persistent woman. I'm starting to think all girls are like this.

"Fine… What's the big assignment?" I put my hands up, like a robber caught by the cops. She gave me a cheeky grin.

"The school's dance of course!" She said, fiddling with something in her bag.

The school dance? Is she kidding? I was trying to avoid that subject all day. Now I'm going to have to write about it for the entire school! Could my day get any worse? Can it get to the point where I feel I have to kill myself to avoid human contact?

"Alright, I'll do it."

Apparently so. I said my goodbye and headed home with Chouji. He said he had something… 'interesting' to tell me. And about this whole… surprises crap… I'm getting really tired of it.

OOO

"No. NO! You're lying to me Chouji!" I screamed. I thought I was hallucinating, but I was wrong. I messed up my hair in confusion and finally threw myself onto my bed with my head in a pillow. How was I supposed to know I appealed to anyone? Let alone someone who I don't give attention to? What kind of a world is this? A world that likes laughing at me. And it likes to roll… and roll some more…

"But it's true! I'm really sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said anything!" He continually bowed his head in front of me for forgiveness.

You ask what I am so worked up about? Do you honestly want to know? Oh…It's nothing really, only the sole fact that Tenten likes me. Me, Shikamaru. The boy who just agreed with her to be one of the school's journalists for one week. I can feel the gods striking my very existence with their all-mighty weapons straight through my heart. Or is it my brain… because that's getting seriously damaged too…

"When was this?" I sighed, further into the pillow with my face to Chouji. I could feel a little drool slipping from my mouth due to my outrage.

"I think it was last year? I'm not sure… but think about it! You guys kinda… make a… nice couple…" He gave me a fake grin. I'm going to kill him. With a very long, pointy kunai…

"Chouji…" I seethed.

"KIND OF. I mean c'mon Shikamaru, you've been so caught up with thinking about Ino for a long time, and it's a little obvious she only wants to be friends with you."

I can't believe I'm saying this… but he's absolutely right. I rake my hand through my unruly hair. I have been thinking about Ino, for the longest time. I don't think about other girls. Does that make me some kind of stalker with a fetish for a person I'm in love with? I hope not. But it really does sound like it.

"What do you think, Chouji. Should I go out with Tenten? You said it yourself that Ino only likes me as a friend." Am I nuts? Today's definitely not my day.

Chouji choked on his soda and coughed violently. He beat his chest with his other hand and straightened his composure. "Whoa whoa, hold on there! I never said anything about getting into a relationship with Tenten!"

"But I did." I sat up and yawned.

"What do ya mean?" He propped an elbow on my desk and took another sip of his soft drink.

"I guess I'm saying… that I should try getting into a relationship with someone else. Maybe it'll get my mind off of Ino." I really don't know what I'm saying. That's the hard, rusty truth. It's been lying in the back of my mind, and it hasn't come out into the light… until now.

"Hey, you should go for it. I mean, there's no harm in it right?"

I blinked and looked down at the hardwood flooring. What would happen if I asked Tenten out? That would mean I'd have to go with her to the dance… as her date. It sounds wrong though… I don't feel anything for her. It would probably end up with her crying in tears and me with my eyes closed and looking at the ground saying, "I'm sorry Tenten. It's not working out for us." Yeah I can see the scene right now, except my imagination has it where we're both on the beach with a sunset background, and she's bawling her eyes out, and screaming at me. Then she'll probably start hitting me. Or run away. Either one might happen…

"That's what I'm hoping Chouji. That's what I'm hoping."

OOO

I have my plan rearing and ready to go. Okay I don't have a plan, and I should for this kind of stuff. Oh, I haven't mentioned it yet? Silly me. I'm going to ask Tenten… uh… out? Or to go out with me? Oh boy, which one is it… It's fifth period again, and the bell's about to ring. I already told Chouji to tell Tenten to wait for me near this big sakura tree out front. Am I nervous…? No, not entirely. Maybe it's because… I don't mean it? I feel a little guilty for doing this. I'm only trying to see what's good for me, and that's seeing if I can overcome my 'love' for Ino. It's the strangest thing. I don't know if I want to.

I hear the bell ring, and everyone's getting up to go. I stand and gather my things into my forest green sling-pack. I'm rushing a bit, because after, I need to go to another book seminar. I still have a life. Don't worry. I head out and duck and dodge the oncoming traffic of shuffling students. I'm almost out the door until I'm grabbed from behind and tumble backwards into a bubbly figure.

"What the… Chouji?" I regain my poise and give him 'give-me-an-explanation' expression. He looks a little worried.

"I just wanted to say good luck buddy! I mean, this is your first time asking a girl out… and it makes me happy to say I'll be the first to know… I think I'm gonna cry…" He fakes sniffles. I'm starting to wonder if Chouji is… gay. I mean, in the acting-girly way. Not as in he's really into girls and boys. He likes girls. Believe me. But that's his story. This is mine.

"That's… nice of you, Chouji. I'll see you tomorrow." I rush passed him and out the front door. I tighten my grip on my bag, and fasten my pace, almost at a near trot. I can see a figure by the tree, with a bear shaped head. That's how I've always pictured Tenten. With bear ears. Hey, stop laughing at me, that's not funny. I slow down and take a breath. I walk up to her, and she notices me. The ribbons of her hair ties sway in a breeze with the wind and she has that slight glow to her face.

It's starting like one of those animes, where there's an awkward silence between the two. Then one of them usually says something like, "Well, I'm here! What is it that you wanted?" That's my guess. But now that the awkward silence has passed I guess I'll make the first move.

"Tenten, I just wanted to say-"

"Will you go out with me?" I hear her blurt out.

"Eh…?" I could feel my eye twitch. Now I'll remember my first girlfriend. Or my first encounter with a girl alone. And she was the one to ask me out. Great. I'll never be the dominant one in a relationship. Ever. Is that like… some curse upon my family that hasn't lifted yet? Where the males don't dominate in a world of Naras? One of my new goals in life: find out why Nara men are always inferior to their women.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you like that… I shouldn't have done that. It was too rude of me… uh…" Tenten started panicking and turned around with her back toward me. Suddenly she turns around and has a sudden change of expression. It's a face of determination and embarrassment. I still haven't said anything. Some power I have over women… then you, the readers, all say, "What power Shikamaru?" Then I say, "Shut up."

"Shikamaru, I just… really like you. And I was wondering if you wanted to… go out sometime."

"Sure." Smooth move, Shikamaru. Smooth move. She looks up at me with a glint of hope in her eyes. Then she jumps at me and squeezes hard as though I were a giant bar of soap not wanting to be held in her grasp. Now… what? I tense down a few notches and put my arms around her figure. If this felt good with Tenten, I'm imagining how good it would feel if I were hugging Ino right now. Really soft and warm…

"Thank you… Shikamaru… for giving me this chance. Thank you so much…" She says into the fabric of my shirt. I could feel it dampen on my skin. She's crying. And clawing on my back. Ow. Seriously. I let her go and tell her I would see her tomorrow. She gives me a curt nod and dashes off. I can see a very bright pip in her steps. Did I do that? Aww shucks, I'm touched. Suddenly I hear a rustling noise above me. That can't possibly be a good part of my day.

I take a few steps back to avoid whatever might come down. There's a loud crash to the ground from the sakura tree and thousands of petals are fluttering in the air as the figure pains in agony. I walk up to it, then squat down. (A/N: Thanks Zorro TT.TT; Lmao.)

"Chouji, what were you doing in the tree?"

"Ehe… Just… enjoying the day's breeze. It's wonderful today, isn't it?"

OOO

It's after school right now, the day after my encounter with Tenten. Well… I'm with her at the moment. I decided to try and be a little assertive, so I've taken us to the town's ice cream parlor. I paid, of course.

"Wow Shikamaru! This is great! Thank you so much!" She takes a spoonful of her strawberry ice cream and slips it down her throat. We're sitting in a booth, and the atmosphere has a retro-feel to it. Everyone's cheery and happy. As for me, well, I can't say. It's mixed feelings.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." I pick at the sprinkles on my raspberry sherbet scoop, not really in the mood to each such sweet matter. She takes her napkin and swipes softly at her lips. I watch her motion.

"You know, Shikamaru. I'm a fan of your poetry. You've written very deep work… and I've always wondered how a person, well, like you, who seems so shallow, can make such beautiful art?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. And you've gone through my poetry assignments too?"

"I'm sorry." She rubs the back of her head in shame. "But it's the truth. Tell me your secret."

"I… can't do that. A magician never reveals his secrets."

"Again with the metaphorical stuff! As you can tell, I'm not the type of person who understands you well. But… I want to. Please, tell me. I want to know more about you." She clapped her hands together and smiled.

"I can explain it to you, but it'll just be more 'metaphorical stuff'." I smile at her for the first time and prop my elbow on the table and rest my cheek on it. She mumbles something and crosses her arms and lies backwards in her seat. She has a thinking cap on. A few seconds later…

"Alright. Go on. I wanna see if I can understand you in the least bit of my poetic capabilities. Haha."

I chuckle at her and take a bite of my ice cream. "Okay. Ask me a question."

"What? But that has nothing to do with…"

"Just ask me a question."

"Okaaaay… um… how has your week been?" She folds her hands, props both of her elbows on the table and sits her chin on her hands.

A simple question. A normal answer would've been something like, 'Fine.' Or maybe 'It's been good.' But I'm no ordinary person. I like confusing people. It's my specialty. Heh. I look up at the ceiling and contemplate for a few seconds. I can feel her staring at me, waiting for my answer. I look down at my ice cream and something pops in my head. Go me!

"My week… the days have been… my ice cream days."

"… ice cream days? Mouuu… I dunno what you're saying."

"No one ever does." I closed my eyes and laughed.

"I'm serious! What does that mean?"

I smile at her and she tints a shade of pink. I look out the window. She looks outside with me. But she sees nothing but the people who pass by. I see much more than that. I see a world of happiness, one in which I wasn't exactly born in.

"Ice cream days… it's something like having the feeling that you want something so bad, but you can't have it. It's that little piece of paradise out there that you just want to run after, but it's only a mirage in the distance… But for a moment in time, you seem to feel that it's right in front of you. It's allowed you entrance to its path. And you do nothing but enjoy it for all its worth, only until you find that its gone." I took another spoonful of ice cream and stared at it, then ate it down. I looked up at her, and she seemed as though she was about to cry.

"Hey… are you okay?"

She held back a sniffle and rubbed her eyes. "Wow… You made that so… surreal. In a way… that it makes so much sense, that you'd think there would be more to it than that."

I lidded my eyes and licked off my spoon. "So I'm guessing you understood what I meant?"

"Most of it. Like I said, I'm not too poetic."

I laughed. She laughed along with me.

OOO

Phewy! I thought I'd never get on with this fic. Unlike last chapter, this chapter actually holds meaning, and is actually important to how this story goes. Lol. And you guys weren't expecting this unexpected pairing, now weren't you:p Well, neither was I. Haha that made no sense. But I hope you enjoyed, and the next installment should come… soon. You better pray. O.o;

S.K.


	4. Deer Farm Part I

**Title: **The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl  
**Summary: **AU: High School Fic. Ino's the popular girl. Shikamaru's the unpopular boy. Can love blossom between the two or will it end as a one-sided love?**  
Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters of the manga/anime. This fan fiction was created for fun. Do not sue for any reasons.**  
Chapter: **3: Deer Farm Part I  
**Comments: **Oy, I hate the near ending of school. Projects are always the worst, no? Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed.. from way back when. I feel awful when I read them, and don't write more than I should. Well then, here ya go!

OOO

Shikamaru walked down the cold pavement in his light gray hoodie and forest green sweats. His usual content look was plastered on his face, however, he was distracted by one of his trusty novel books. People walked past him on the sidewalks, some hurrying to business meetings, and some chatting down to the mall. The air was chipper and the sun peaked out through from the clouds above.

He took a glance above his book and walked up to one of the buildings, an old-fashioned bookstore. The exterior was of two large glass panes, and a cherry wooden door in the middle leading to the entrance. He lightly pushed down on the doorknob and turned it, releasing his grip and walking inside, with the ringing bell above him to signal the bookstore had either got another customer, or lost one.

A merry, chubby man in a dark blue apron stood behind the counter, reading the latest edition of the Konoha Times. He shuffled through the pages a bit, and let it down to see his new customer. He then put on a cheeky smile and waved.

"Good afternoon, Shikamaru, my boy!" He greeted, and Shikamaru stepped up to the counter, taking in the warm air contained in the store. He book-marked his page on his book and set it on the surface. "Isn't today a school day for you youngsters? Why aren't you getting your education?"

The teenager, slightly taller than the book clerk, looked around, and then set his eyes on the man again, smiling a bit. "Today's a day-off Mr. Koruki. I thought I'd stop by to see how things were doing. Mind if I look around?"

"Go ahead. You've been doing so for the past 3 years, I don't see what's the difference with asking me again and again." He shooed away Shikamaru and went back to his newspaper.

"I guess you're right then." Shikamaru walked up to one of the near bookshelves and picked out a thin book with a yellow binding. "So it'd be better if I didn't have manners and not ask?"

The clerk furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at him. "I didn't mean it like that. You're a good boy Shikamaru. Isn't it about time you had a girlfriend or something of the sort?" He flipped a page, and Shikamaru slapped the cover of the book closed with one hand. His head was bent down and his neck crooked slightly. His head turned to the clerk.

"Actually I am seeing someone, Mr. Koruki." He set the book back on the shelf and picked another one out.

"Oh? Do you really? Is it that girl… what's her name… Ina? Ine? Inu? Er… dog?" Mr. Koruki scratched his head. Shikamaru laughed, almost dropping the magazine he pulled from the shelf.

"It's Ino. And no, it's not her. It's another girl, and her name's Tenten." Shikamaru eyed a book on the top shelf, and he tiptoed up to reach it. He examined the cover to see a shorthaired blonde girl sitting on a river's edge. _'Reluctance'._

"I see. Well good luck with her my boy." He put away his newspaper and shuffled something under the counter. Shikamaru looked over at him, curious. The clerk came back up with a slightly worn cardboard box, and he set it loudly on the countertop. "Aye! Check these books out. They're pretty old, but some of them are worth reading."

The Nara walked over and set the book he was holding by the register. He then took hold of the box and set it on the floor. He sat on the thin-carpeted floor and browsed through the selection. He smirked as he noticed most of the books he saw were books he already read. One in particular caught his attention, a book with a dark background and a crescent moon printed on the front cover. He took it in his right hand and threw it in the air shortly. He read the back for the book's summary.

'_Pretty good… Small text… thick binding… good summary…'_ He thought as he got up off the floor and placed the book on the counter. He fished into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out his navy blue wallet, with the Konoha leaf symbol bared on the front. The clerk went to the register to ring up the boy's item. He looked next to the register, seeing a book out of place. He put it in front of Shikamaru to see.

"Were you planning on getting this one too? Reluctance?" Shikamaru thought attentively, looking above the clerk's head to the shelf behind him.

"Yeah. Ring that up too." He took out a few worn bills from his wallet and set them on the counter along with pocket change. A bell chime was heard, and two teenaged girls entered the empty store. Shikamaru and the clerk glanced at them, and continued on with the payment. The clerk began punching random buttons on the register in a low fury. He huffed and scrutinized the machine.

"Give me a few minutes, Shikamaru. This old thing likes to die out on me once in a while." He fiddled with it and opened the cover with a metal click. Shikamaru nodded and looked around the store. The two girls who walked in looked pretty lost. One of them looked at Shikamaru, and he stared right back. The girl walked up to him.

"Can you help me find something? I'm doing a research paper on the Wind Country. And I don't know where your reference books are." She looked a bit worried. Shikamaru scratched his head. "But I don't work here…" He said, with an apologetic tone. Suddenly he felt something blunt and hard hit the back of his head. Book pages were heard floating to the floor. Shikamaru glared behind him to the clerk, who had an angry look on his face.

"Help the customer boy! I'm in a bundle as it is. It's good to get some assistance around here ya know?" The clerk yelled, then going back to his broken register. Shikamaru sighed then turned back to the girl, who was fiddling with the hem of her skirt. '_Troublesome!'_ He cursed in his thoughts.

"The reference books are over here. Come with me." Shikamaru said, in his mannered tone and lead the girl to a section in the bookstore. The girls giggled quietly behind him and he shut his eyes in agitation. He never before experienced this weird kind of attention, but soon he felt stupid after remembering people laughed at him in school anyway. He stopped and showed the girls a bookshelf with a couple of series of encyclopedias and books containing map references. "I should warn you though, they're not for sale."

"Thanks a lot!" The girl said in her cute tone of voice. "Hey… aren't you Tenten's new boyfriend? Shikamaru was it?"

He looked at her in shock and scratched his cheek. "Say wah…?"

"Yeah! It is you! News around the school is that you're her new boyfriend! So is it true? Eh? Eh?" She batted her eyes in his face, frantically waiting for his response. He stepped back, almost coming in contact with a rolling cart full of magazines. He suddenly dodged under the girl and ran passed her, picking up the books he bought off the counter.

"See ya later Mr. Koruki!" He grabbed for the door leading to the exit, but was stopped by Mr. Koruki.

"Wait! I wanted to ask you a question."

"What is it? I don't want to stick around here for much longer." He looked behind the clerk to see the girls giggling their heads off.

"I saw how you handled those customers. How'd you like a job working here Shikamaru? I'll pay you extra, since I don't have any other employees." He gave him a smile, but only saw the boy look scared to death.

"Yeah yeah sure! I'll come by tomorrow BYE." He dashed out the door, almost breaking off the bell as it sounded. He gave out a sigh and looked behind him, only to see the two girls coming at him with overly excited face. _'What the heck do they want with me?'_ He sprinted across an intersection, just in time for a yellow light to appear on the traffic signal. The girls were nowhere to be found as he slowed his pace, panting heavily. _'Oy… I hate girls more than ever…'_

OOO

He walked home, and closed his front door with a soft click. Trudging into the kitchen, he got out a jug of orange juice and poured himself a glass. His dad walked in, looking beat and tired. Shikato sat on one of the wooden chairs by the dining table and let out a long breath. Shikamaru took out a second glass and poured his father some orange juice as well. He sat down across from him and laid the glasses on the table.

"So, how's work on the farm dad?" The younger Nara took a sip from his glass, clinking it back to the table. His father looked up to the ceiling.

"Stressful. The deer wouldn't stampede back into the pen right away. They sat out in the field for forever!"

"That sounds… interesting." Shikato took off his dark vest, and threw it on the floor in a careless manner. He turned to his son.

"Shikamaru, how 'bout you sleep out in the cabin for the weekend? It'll be nice to have you help out on the farm for a couple of days."

'_Everyone wants me working now. What is up with the world today?'_ Shikamaru thought and had a sour look on his face. A spark lit in his mind and he got an idea.

"Would you mind if I invited some friends?"

"Oh? There's someone other than Chouji you want to invite?"

"Yeah… so is it okay?"

"I guess… but only 3 more friends, besides Chouji. We only have so many sleeping choices in the cabin."

"Thanks dad. I'll get right to inviting them." He pushed his chair back and got up, going up the stairs to his bedroom. He flopped on his bed, picking his cordless phone off the receiver in the process. He sat up and searched his backpack for a piece of paper. Once he got it he dialed Tenten's home phone number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hello? Fuuryu residents." A female voice was heard through the other line. (A/N: I made up Tenten's last name

"Hello, Tenten?"

"This is her speaking. Shikamaru?"

"Yeah."

"Aah! Hi! How are you?"

"Uh… I was calling to see if you wanted to um… go to my dad's deer ranch for the weekend. You know… just relax and stuff." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. The other end was silent and some shuffles were heard.

"Oh…? Sure! I'd love to go!"

He let out a sigh while covering the phone with both of his hands. He put it back up to his ear. "…Did you want to invite anyone in particular? I'm only inviting you and Chouji."

"Oh! Oh! Can I invite Ino? She'd love to go with me. I would invite Sakura, but she has plans for the weekend."

"Ah…" Shikamaru almost dropped the phone to the ground as soon as the name 'Ino' was mentioned. His face grew warm and his body began trembling. He brought the back of his hand to his sweating forehead. _'…Ino's coming?'_

"…Shika? You there?" A worried voice called out to him. He fiddled with the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Yeah. Yeah. Uh, sorry 'bout that."

"Do you mind holding on for a few seconds?"

"Ah… no. Not at all."

"Alright. _Click._" Shikamaru tapped the back of the phone and hummed a bit. He bit the inside of the bottom of his lip and crooked his neck backwards and stared at his plain white ceiling.

"I'm back!" Tenten said.

"Hi." Following was the '_Ring. Ring. Ring._' of the phone again.

"..What was that?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh. I'm calling Ino right now asking if she wants to go! Three-way calling is sooo useful these days, don't you think?" Her cheery tone commented. Shikamaru suddenly lost the ability to suck in air as he started to hyperventilate. The ringing continued and the click was heard.

"Yamanaka residence. Inoshi speaking." The gruff voice rang out.

"Hello Mr. Yamanaka! How are you this fine day today?" Tenten said.

"I'm pretty well. I'll get Ino, be right back." The phone was heard set down and Tenten started singing softly and Shikamaru sat in silence.

'_Oh maaaaan. What am I supposed to say? Should I invite her myself? No, that's Tenten's job. Ah.. maybe I should just stay quiet and collected. Yeah, that's better. Oh wait, that'll make me sound shy. Argh. Uh.. 'bout I just casually say hi? Damnit, that's not my style either. But since when did I consider myself having a style in the first place…_' Shikamaru thought to himself as the Yamanaka's phone was picked up.

"Hi Tenten!" Ino said.

"Hi Ino! Oh yeah, Shikamaru's here too. Say hi!"

"Oh.. Uh, hi Shikamaru." Ino's voice came down to a prissy yet comforting tone.

"Uh… Hi, Ino." His voice came out more like a strangled mouse in the grasp of a menacing cat. He mentally slapped himself for his cowardice. What was he thinking? '_Hi, Ino._' Smooth move, Nara. Smooth move.

"Anyway, Shikamaru invited me to his dad's deer farm and he wanted me to invite someone! So, didja wanna go with us Ino?" Tenten chirped.

"Aah, I see. Shikamaru's beginning to be the ladies' man, I see. Hm hm." She chuckled as Shikamaru knotted his brows together from her sarcasm.

"We're going for the weekend." Tenten said.

"Awesome! I don't have plans and I'm already bored. I was planning to go shopping with Sakura but then I didn't feel like it. It was like, the weirdest thing!" Ino replied.

"Totally. I get that feeling a lot too. It's like one minute you just want to go walk and see all the cool stuff they have, then you just don't wanna hop in the car and just go. Ya know?"

"I sooo totally know."

Shikamaru's head began to throb. _'So this is what girls talk about._' He thought. All this time he thought they talked about boys and how cool and hot they were. Judging by their conversation, he assumed they weren't going to stop talking about perfume and shoes anytime soon. His lips moved, but his voice couldn't seem to form words. He tried again, finally saying something that didn't involve having to actually talk directly to Ino.

"Aah, sorry to interrupt. But I need an answer now. We're leaving at about… 7 tonight." He said. The two girls on the other lines silenced. Then two unison screams echoed out, and Shikamaru had to hold the phone away from him and the ear deafening screams finally ceased.

"Oh my goodness! We leave tonight?"

"I have to get ready! Where's my duffle bag?"

"I need to pack some comfy clothes…"

"Aah! I can't find my old shoes…"

Shikamaru tried to decipher the two voices from the two girls, but found it useless due to their utter excitement. He began to wonder if girls weren't as tidy as they claimed to be, since they couldn't 'find' anything they were looking for. He listened a bit more, and Ino spoke up.

"Umm.. Shikamaru?" Ino said, a little shy maybe? He froze as he heard her.

"Ah! Yes?"

"I was wondering if um… I could invite…" Ino mumbled toward the end.

"Invite who?"

"Invite umm…" She said. "…Sasuke."

This time Shikamaru dropped the phone, and its plastic exterior came in contact, full force with the wooden floor and the sound almost echoed that of glass shattering. He came to and hurried to gather up the phone, which was surprisingly still functional, and with Ino and Tenten still there. He had a sort of sad look on his face when he brought up the phone back to his ear. He felt the air surrounding him becoming more dense, cold, and uninviting.

"Whoops, sorry about that." He tried sounding cheerful. "It's okay to invite Sasuke, I guess." He slumped back on his bed with his feet dangling off the end.

"That's great! I'll call him right now. And don't worry, I won't let him mess with you, okay Shikamaru?" He could almost vision her winking at him with her pale face and her piercing light blue eyes. "I'll see you later at your house with Sasuke and Tenten. Bye guys!"

"Bye, Ino."

"See ya!"

The line clicked off and the two were left.

"So, uh, Shika."

"So, yes?"

"I wanted to ask you something umm.."

"Ask me something… what?"

"I wanted to ask you something… personal." She ended, with a shy yet serious tone.

"..What did you want to ask then?"

"Alright… Uh.. I wanted to know if.. you really.. that is um.. like me.. in that way."

He thought attentively, pursing his lips, and sat down on his bed. He thought she was a cute girl with a spike attitude, but all in all, to him she was considered just a really good friend. They were only dating a few days, but hadn't even held hands in public. In addition, although they saw each other during school, there were plenty of opportunities for them to hang out with each other, but it almost never happened. He couldn't really see them together as the lovey dovey typed couple, and he still had some interest in Ino. He scratched the back of his head, then settled his arm in the crook of his neck, his hand hooked onto the nape of his hair.

"Do you want me to be honest?" He said. His decision was uncertain, but he predicted that she was going to break it off, here and now. It was going to be her, or him.

"Yes. Entirely."

"Okay then." He inhaled deeply before speaking up again. "I think you're a really, really cool person, but I don't want to sound mean and abrupt. But the thing is that… I'd rather be friends with you at the moment." He silenced and waited for a reply, but the other line was quiet.

"…And I'm not really feeling something happening between us. You know?"

"Oh thank GOODNESS!" She yelled into the phone with an overly enthusiastic tone of voice. He widened his eyes as he heard her mumbling something on the lines of '_I thought he was gonna say something about us being a great couple.._'

"I'm sorry. What?" He asked, a bit worried.

"I thought the exact same thing! You see.. a couple of days after I confessed, I realized that I didn't like you all that much anymore. It turned out to be just a little schoolgirl crush on you." He pictured her sticking her tongue out at him. "I hope you understand and don't take it the wrong way. I'd love to go on the trip with you still, if you don't mind."

"… Yeah. That's fine. I'll see you later." He said, sounding a little happier than usual.

"Yep! Bye!"

Tenten hung up, and Shikamaru pressed the 'End' soft button on his phone. He set it slowly back on the receiver and got up, swaying. He went up to his closet and slid it open. He threw clothes into a black duffle bag and zipped it closed. The air around him seemed to feel… warm, and hopeful. Something about breaking it up with Tenten brought his spirits up about and dancing all over the place. He smiled and stood up, the duffle bag swung over his shoulder.

'_Maybe it means I still have a chance with her._' He looked out his window, seeing the brisk weather, and the branches of sakura trees wallowing softly. '_Who knows._' He thought, still smiling…

OOO

"SHIKAMARU, I NEED HELP WITH PACKING! GET DOWN HERE!" Shikato yelled up to his son. Shikamaru flinched and glared at his closed door.

He yelled back at it, "I'M BUSY HAVING AN IMPORTANT MOMENT TO MYSELF. I'LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!" He said, and went back to staring out the window with his almost cheery smile plastered on his face.

OOO

Hahaha. I don't have much to say other than 'Haha' at the moment. Hmmm… I need to do homework. Aah. Okay then! See you in the next chapter! Part II of Deer Farm! Hopefully we'll see Shikamaru trying harder, eh? Haha. Oh yeah, sorry if the Shikamaru and Tenten pairing was short lasting, but I couldn't see them going any further. I'm not an exact fan, but I hope I read some Naruto fics with random pairings in the near future. Bye then!

SK.


	5. Deer Farm Part II

**Title: **The Books, The Shougi, and The Girl  
**Summary: **AU: High School Fic. Ino's the popular girl. Shikamaru's the unpopular boy. Can love blossom between the two or will it end as a one-sided love?**  
Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters of the manga/anime. This fan fiction was created for fun. Do not sue for any reasons.**  
Chapter: **4: Deer Farm Part II  
**Comments: **SK dead. Saying sorry doesn't solve anything, but presenting the new chapter does! Oh yes, another thing; I've changed the rating from K+ to T because of… language. Sasuke is now our human curse machine. No, just kidding. Forgive me those who read this story. I'm aware it's the summer so I'm trying to get my butt into gear and write! Just to show how much I care, some responses from last chapter's reviewers!

Death Raptor – I dunno… maybe Tenten does come back? –gasp- Don't worry, I have something else planned. I just… need to get it on the computer first..

FREAKnLOSER – No, he doesn't step in deer poo. Where would you get that idea? Haha.

PSYCH0tic – Why bother with you? JUST KIDDING. Sasuke and Ino make a nice couple. A little. I think.

Miss Ino – I'm continuing… now! Enjoy!

OOO

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open by the two girls sitting in front of him, Chouji, and Sasuke. Ino and Tenten were sitting in the middle passenger seats listening to the same MP3 player, as well as singing softly along to the song. His dad was driving with his mother in the front seat.

Shikamaru seemed to get in touch with reality as he heard Ino's voice hum out '_I love you…_' from the lyrics of the unknown song. He was sitting in the middle between Sasuke and Chouji, plainy looking bored as ever. '_Like she'll ever say that to me._' He thought, creasing his mouth into a gloomy smile. He bent his neck backwards and stared at the ceiling of the truck, in which little pieces of crumbly foam were sticking out from the folding. Tracks of streetlights whizzed by as the evening began to settle in on the day of the trip to the Nara deer farm.

They soon arrived after their final drive on a long dirt road leading into a barren grass field that seemed to spread far out over the horizon of the earth. Shikato parked the truck in a garage next to one of the three cabins on the farm. The girls hopped out and ran to see the view of the fields while the boys gathered the bags from the back of the vehicle. Chouji held his bag, but Shikamaru carried his and Tenten's, and Sasuke with his and Ino's.

"Wooooooow!" Ino gleamed. "Look at the view! You can see on for miles…"

"This is soooo amazing! There's nothing like this back in the village. No trees… just flat ground! Cool…" Tenten said.

Shikamaru was about to topple over, noting how heavy Tenten's bag was. He wondered what exactly she brought to the trip, and if he should be frightened. "Oy, oy! Get your bag. It's heavy." He hollered. Tenten went over to him and took it from his grasp, and set it down to the ground. Ino did the same, as Shikamaru's mother and father stepped out in front of all of them.

"Welcome to my farm." Shikato started. "The girls will be sleeping in that cabin over there." He pointed to a cabin on his right. "And the boys will be next to them, right there." He pointed to the cabin next to it. The two housings were identical, and the third was next to the barn, on the opposite side. The third was bigger, assumed to be the main cabin. "Ya'll will be working bright and early tomorrow so you should get to bed soon." He started walking to the main cabin and Shikamaru's mother followed, leaving all five teens to their lonesome. They walked together to the cabins before saying their goodnights.

"Night boys! We'll see you bright and early!" Tenten said.

"G'night and sweet dreams!" Ino winked, which was focused on Sasuke. Shikamaru frowned.

"I guess we'll be seeing you girls tomorrow. See ya." Shikamaru said as he swaggered into the boys' cabin. Chouji bowed to the girls and followed, and Sasuke crept behind. Shikamaru threw his bag onto the wooden flooring and belly-flopped onto the bed closest to the door. Chouji switched on the light, and the illumination lit the interior. Inside were two more oak beds, and a door, leading to the bathroom.

"Listen up, Nara." Sasuke ordered out of the silence. The said teenager and Chouji looked at him, dumbfounded. Since when did the most popular boy in their junior year speak to them, the total losers that they were? Oh, just now.

"What?" Shikamaru replied in a defensive, bored tone. He sat up on the bed, which bobbed a little, under his weight. Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets of his jeans, and walked to the foot of Shikamaru's bed. He stared down at him, emotionless. Then a tug on his mouth sent his face into a smirk. What could that possibly mean…

"How about we play a little… prank. Say… on the girls?" Sasuke said. Shikamaru looked at him, his expression surprised and confused. A prank? All he wanted to do right now was to eat a few junk foods, maybe read a few pages of his book, but a prank? Things were about to get real interesting.

"A prank? Eeeh…" Shikamaru drawled. "What… kind of prank?"

"Before we get into that, we need to… form an alliance." Sasuke shrugged. They weren't exactly friends, let alone acquaintances. But Shikamaru could work with being allies. If Sasuke was asking for help, who was he to turn him down? This was his chance to get to know the Uchiha better, and what better way to do it than to go up against a male's lifelong rival, the female? A silly little thing as a prank could hide whatever reason the boys had to do it in the first place. Plus, Shikamaru was bored out of his mind, and had nothing better to do than to count the planks of wood on the ceiling while he was trying to sleep. The battle for dominance (and bragging rights) was up for grabs, and Shikamaru was holding it in the palms of his hands.

"Alright then. Let's shake on it." Shikamaru said, raising his hand out to the Uchiha. Sasuke complied with an evil smile on his face, and took Shikamaru's hand in a deal of a handshake.

"Is this a good idea, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked his best friend. "Well, whatever you guys are planning, I don't want any part of it." With that, Chouji plopped himself on the bed next to Shikamaru's, and ripped open a fresh bag of potato chips.

"Okay then, what's the plan?" Shikamaru said, giving room for Sasuke to sit on his bed, while he sat cross-legged. Sasuke planted himself on the edge of the bed, also setting a drawstring sack on the bed sheets. He pulled on the edges of the opening, and flipped the sack upside down, revealing objects of mass destruction. Mass destruction to the girls' prides, of course.

"We're gonna sneak into their cabin and ransack the place. It'll be awesome…" Sasuke said. There on the bed lay things such as whipped cream, a jar of honey, balls of yarn, toilet paper, and balloons. Also a metallic, compact digital camera lay gleaming on the bed.

"I don't want to be assuming… but you don't look like the type to play such childish tricks." Shikamaru said.

"Hey… it gets a little boring having to walk around the school with girls swooning all over you, and all you can do is sit there. And I don't want that player persona embedded into my profile, so I just seem cold and mean." Sasuke explained. So that was it. Shikamaru had everything he thought about the great Uchiha all wrong. He was just another pretty boy who didn't want anything to do with girls. Either that, or his hormones hadn't kicked in yet, which was highly unlikely. Sasuke seemed nice enough, for now anyway.

"I see…"

"Well. Since you're the smart one, you'll have to come up with the plan." Sasuke perked. The smirk on his face was deepening, thinking of all the ways to humiliate Ino and Tenten. Bent on thoughts of torture, Sasuke never even went on to actually plan the whole thing out. And we thought he was smarter than that…

"Wha…?" Shikamaru sat back, agape.

This was his ultimate punishment, his ultimate karma for that matter, for bothering to muse about all the popular kids at school. He sighed in defeat and spotted a piece of chalk from the contents of the sack and got down on the wooden floor, beginning to draw out the evil schemes that would arise in a matter of minutes…

OOO

The night was pitch black and miniscule stars scattered the sky as Shikamaru hopped out the window, Sasuke following carrying the bag. They had changed into black sweatpants and black hoodies, and just to make Sasuke shut up, Shikamaru agreed to smother black face paint in two lines, like football players do, each on either cheek. They walked along wheat grass and cold hard dirt until they approached the window to the girls' cabin. The window was low enough to climb through, but the problem was opening it without waking the cabin's sleeping members.

"Ssh. I'll get it open and you find a stick to hold it up." Sasuke whispered and Shikamaru nodded, looking behind him in the grass for a branch. Meanwhile, Sasuke placed his numb fingers under the old, chipping wood that was the frame of the windowpane, and pressured under it to try and slowly pry it open. It made a weak chipping sound and finally let way, allowing Sasuke to push it open. Shikamaru succeed in finding a good-sized stick to hold up the window, and handed it to Sasuke, who set it vertical on the left side of the frame. Sasuke then hopped backwards and sat on the sill, afterwards leaning all the way backwards till his head was upside down, inches from the floor. He set his hands on the floor and forced the rest of his body to roll into the room, and silently landed on his feet. He stood up and reached for the bag that Shikamaru handed him.

Shikamaru himself got into the cabin, and looked around, adjusting his eyes to the darkness. He could make out the slight outline figures of the two girls, lying on beds opposite each other. He looked over at Sasuke who brought out two pairs of fuzzy earmuffs. Shikamaru drawled out a long, purposeful sigh.

"Is this necessary? I mean girls can be heavy sleepers too ya know and I just think-"

"Nara, c'mon. I'm smart too." Sasuke said, and tossed one pair to Shikamaru, who hurriedly caught it. He then walked over to Tenten's bed. "It's just for extra insurance they don't wake up. Okay?" He slid the earmuff covers over Tenten's ears and smiled as she snuggled further into her blanket. "You go put those on Ino. I'll go get the stuff."

Shikamaru swallowed down a large amount of saliva and cocked his head slowly in Ino's direction. He made his way towards her in light steps, fearful to wake both girls and ruin the whole shindig. As he stopped at the head of her bed he looked down at her with nervous eyes. Beads of sweat started to pour down his face as he lifted the earmuffs over her head. Because Ino was facing away from Shikamaru, it made his job slightly harder.

_Shikamaru's POV_

I was starting to feel light-headed and the room seemed to begin to spin. Of course in reality that's just me freaking out, but real, real quietly. Want to know a little tidbit about this memory I have? Even if you say no, I'll tell you.

I remember I was about seven years old; a short reserved little Nara, who was grounded from _accidentally_ opening the deer pen one day, and let most of the deer out to roam. Boy, did my dad have a complex! Like, steam coming out of his ears mad. What I meant by accident was that I just sort of… wanted to pet one of the baby deer. I mean, who doesn't at such a tender age of seven? Everything seemed big and fascinating in the world, and animals were supposedly cute and 'friendly'. So I unlatched the rusty lock off of the fence and pushed it open. A little _too_ open. Enough for a deer to spot the entrance and run for it. I remember I ducked and covered right in front of the stampede. I still feel lucky that I didn't get trampled over by those menacing… sharp… hooves… Erm. Yep. This is why I have this 'phobia' of silence then a suspicion something bad will happen. Which usually does. Which might explain why I'm cautious more than I used to be.

Then all of a sudden I hear Ino yawn and turn over. Facing me STILL without the earmuffs. I panicked and stepped backwards. I caught my foot on something and slipped. I caught myself on the nightstand, holding up my weight with my left arm. Phew. I stood back up and looked around for Sasuke. He was busy lining the walls with yarn. I faced Ino yet again and she had shifted onto her back. This was the perfect opportunity to finally get the earmuffs on her. I lifted the thing again, and softly set it onto her ears. I watched her face in the process, looking closely at where the moonlight hit the bridge of her nose, and the curve of her cheek. I couldn't exactly put into words how she looked, but I felt happy inside. Is this what people call a crush? Something so out of reach even though you're just inches away from it…

"Nara!" I heard a forced whisper from the other side of the room. "Help me with this bucket!" I stood back up and stepped over to the doorway where Sasuke had set up a trigger system over the entrance with clear thread and pieces of strong scotch tape. I could only move so slowly as to not touch any of the threads. They were practically invisible to the naked eye, but the small glimmer from the moon outside the window gave away their positions. I steadied the bucket above my head as Sasuke secured it with an eyehook in the ceiling.

"What's in the bucket anyway?"

"Just water. Mixed in with a little chocolate syrup…"

"Sasuke!"

"What? If this is gonna be a 'sweet' victory, might as well make it literal."

He stepped off the chair and brought it back under the desk in the far back of the room. As he did that, I looked around at all the other things he set up. I walked over to Tenten's bed and saw a clear thread taped to her forehead. Then I followed the thread above her head and saw a balloon filled with who knows what hanging from the ceiling. I imagined her sitting up oblivious to the trap and… **SPLOOSH**! I was too caught up in Tenten's trap that I forgot I had left Ino in the hands of Sasuke…

It was too late to find out when Sasuke snuck over and grabbed at my sweater, tugging me to the window.

"I saw Ino crack her eyes open. We gotta leave now!" He hurriedly said and practically threw me out the window as I landed on my side in the grass. He hopped out, bag in hand, and we ran back to our cabin. I turned the knob and noticed Sasuke staring out at the sky, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"You coming in?"

"Nah, I'll stay out here for a bit. That was pretty great, wasn't it Nara?"

"I guess… yeah."

He continued to look up and dug around in his right pocket, pulling out a small white box. He flipped the lid off and pulled out what seemed to be a cigarette. Who knew the all mighty Uchiha Sasuke was a smoker? He didn't seem like the type, but he brought out a lighter and lit the cigarette and sucked in. He put the lighter away and blew out the nasty fumes into the air. The breeze drifted the smell to me, and I waved a hand in front of my face. He looked at me.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that."

"That's okay." I turned to look up at the sky as well. The sky was still its midnight black with the stars glittering away. "Since… when did you become a smoker? I mean, you don't look like one."

"Not long. I've only done it a couple of times. I came with you guys to get away from home."

"I see…"

The mysterious aurora around the Uchiha aroused my curiosity. There was more to this guy than good looks and the black hair atop his head? I had to ask. Popular people were more interesting than I thought.

"What's up with home nowadays?"

"My brother. Ever since our parents died, all he's been doing is drinking with his buddies and sleeping around. That bastard of a brother… and to think that I looked up to him…" He raised the cig up to his mouth and stuck it in. "He's not even up paying for the bills. He gets his playboy bunnies to give him money for good sex. What a crap life huh."

"I'm… sorry to hear that. But it's no excuse to start smoking, I think. Through what I'm hearing, you're starting to act like him." I paused when I noticed he was staring at me. Oh no. My know-it-all brain was nosing in. This is what happens when I oppose other people. I end up acting in my own drunk way and I can't do anything to stop it.

"Go on…" He said, and took the cig out of his mouth and flicked off the dead ashes onto the boards below us. I was surprised he was interested in what I had to say. I continued, back to gazing into the stars.

"Start this and it could lead down that sad, depressed road. All you'll ever achieve is being another teenager in a statistic of high-school dropouts. You don't want that, do you? Soon, you'll be having sex with girls you don't know from drinking parties and end up with your wallet stolen in the morning, plus having the mother of all hangovers."

After, there was a long silence. I could hear the chirping of crickets even. I turned to look at him, and saw him staring at his cigarette butt. He threw it down and smashed it in with the toe of his shoe.

"I quit." He looked at me and grinned. "C'mon. Let's hit the sack. I'm tired…"

We headed back inside and changed into our sleep clothes. I sat on the edge of my bed and swung my feet over. I rolled onto my side, facing the wall. I closed my eyes, recalling the image of Ino's sleeping face…

OOO

I can't remember the last time I heard such a loud, ear-bleeding scream, or two going off at the same time for that matter. I sat up and hopped off the bed, my feet wobbling as that morning rush crowded through my head. I grabbed for the door and flung it open as I looked over to the girls' cabin. Sasuke was already outside, laughing his head off and camera ready. He was still in his dark blue boxer shorts and a gray tank top. As for me I had on forest green drawstring pants and a black tee. Then I finally noticed Chouji standing next to him chuckling as well. Apparently I slept through something…

Then as I walked over the girls' cabin's door opened and the bucket's trigger went off. I saw a mess of blonde hair just before the goop of syrup made a loud splash onto her face just as she tilted her head up. I heard the click of Sasuke's camera. Ino then proceeded to wipe the chocolate off her face with the cuff of her sweater. Tenten stepped next to her. The look on her face was past angry, and past cross. It was more of a 'ifyoudon'truninthenext2secondsI'llkillyou' look. I imagined storm clouds behind the two and a flash of lightning jolting around.

"Sasuke……" Tenten seethed. Her hair was a mess. I could see patches of white in her hair, assuming it was the whipped cream. Then I remembered the trap with the balloon hanging over her. Then I remembered honey… I scanned over them once more. Then something hit me. They were hiding something.

"Shika…" Ino drawled. Then like a cheetah in the jungle she lunged at me. "…MARU!"

I ran for it. Hell, I sprinted off.

Then just as I started slowing down, I felt something like water being shot into my back. I glanced behind me. Ino was chasing me with a water gun! What was worse was that she was squirting something that _wasn't_ water at me! We were in the middle of the field and I stopped and turned around. Ino wasn't so quick to stop, so I caught her and I grabbed for the water gun with one hand, with my other arm locked around her waist to steady ourselves before we fell in a heap on the ground. I started laughing.

"Whoa there! I like this shirt and I don't want to have to use it as a rag in the near future!" I snatched the water gun free from her grip and she reached for it, but I held it as high as I could above the both of us.

"Give it back! C'mooon…" She cried out, still reaching. Then she began laughing along with me. I handed her back her gun and we continued to laugh. Then I remembered I still had my arm around her. I quickly withdrew it and turned away, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

"You guys were pretty sneaky." I heard her huff out.

"It was all Sasuke's idea, I swear."

"You went along with it. That was brave of you."

"Yeah… I guess it was."

I looked at her and found her staring at me, smiling. How embarrassing… I tore my eyes away from hers and stared down at the grass.

"Well, c'mon! Let's get back to the cabins and see what the others are doing!"

Ino snaked an arm around mine and hugged it tightly for a brief moment. It felt good to walk with her, with her arm around my own and all. Aside from my shirt being super sticky and her hair covered in goo, we made quite the pair. I wonder if this is what it'd be like if we were married on our wedding day; having said our vows and after, running down the runway out to our 'Just Married' car.

I felt myself smiling, even grinning. But I hid it from her. I was just too embarrassed.

We approached the cabins and saw Tenten and Sasuke sitting on the steps of the girls' cabin. Sasuke was covered in whipped cream and chocolate syrup himself. I guess Tenten got into his stash and nailed him with it.

"So she got you too." I said. He ran his chocolate covered hands through his hair for added effect. We laughed. I saw Chouji holding Sasuke's camera and he snapped a shot of us.

"But we totally won." He held a hand out and we high-fived.

"I _thought_ I saw something last night. It was one of you two. I knew it!" Ino said as she grabbed at the front of my shirt and dabbed her face in it.

"Hey!" I shouted as I gently pushed her back and everyone else laughed at us. I looked at Chouji again, then saw cans of whipped cream sitting next to Sasuke. Chouji was spotless while the rest of us were down right dirty. That was not fair. Not fair at all…

"Hey Sasuke, are those empty?" I pointed at them.

"No, why?"

"Grab one." I reached for one myself and ran over to Chouji and sprayed him with it. Sasuke did the same thing while Tenten and Ino grabbed bottles of chocolate syrup and squeezed above him. I got in the act somehow and I felt the syrup slide down my neck and my forehead.

It was a great morning on the deer farm, up until my dad saw how messy the girls' cabin was.

Chocolate and honey and cream everywhere. He almost fainted. Sasuke took a shot of my dad's expression.

After a few good yells and orders, we were changed and cleaning off all the walls and floors. It was a sweet victory, as Sasuke said.

Pretty sweet.

OOO

I want to spray whipped cream and pour chocolate syrup everywhere.  
It sounds fun and exciting. But I'm a plain person who has no life.  
So I'm not allowed to do that.  
Hahaha.

Did I make Sasuke OOC? My bad. Too bad.  
Anyway thank you for reading! Next installment should come… 'soon'.   
Kick me if it doesn't. Review!

SK.


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